Refrigerator



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. L. READ.

L A Y RBFRIGERATOR. 4

No.542,714. l Patented Julyl, 1895.

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(No Model.)

. READ RBPRIGBRATOR.

No. 542,714. Patented July 1e, 1895.

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ddihjcasses UNITEDV STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWSON O. READ, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part o' Letters Patent N0. 542,714, dated July 16, 1895. Application iiiea November 1s, 1894.. seria No. 528,655. on model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAWSON O. READ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Refrigerator, of which the followingis a specification. a v

This invention relates to refrigerators; and it has for its object to provide a new and useful construction of refrigerator providing sim ple and efficient means for the perfect circulation of the cold and warm air, allowing the cold air to pass directly from the ice-chamber into the storage-chamber in such a manner as to effectually displace the warm air and impurities, which are conducted outside of the refrigerator without coming in contact with the ice, and thereby completing an air-circulation that forces all odors from the bottom of the refrigerator out through the top thereof, in

order that the provisions may always be kept perfectly fresh and odorless.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the `nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination,

Y and arrangement of parts hereinafter more on thelinex of Fig. 1.

fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a central vertical longitudinal sectional View of the refrigerator. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionalview of the refrigerator on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail `sectional view on the linea a' of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional-view showing more clearly the connection of the-inner metallic side flueplates with the side seams of thepartition licor-plate and the disposition of the lower edges of' the side lining-plates for the opposite inner sides of the ice-chamber of the refrigerator. Eig. 6 is a detail in perspective of the metallic partition floor-plate.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a refrigerator-casing constructed in theusual substantially rectangular shape and provided at one side with the door-opening 2, adapted to be covered and uncovered by the hinged side door 3, and the said casing 1, including the door thereof, is provided with -double side and end walls 4, that are faced or lined with suitable non-conducting material in the usual way to provide non-conducting walls for the refrigerator-casing, and said double walls 4 confine therein an inclosed 55 dead-air space 5, that materially assists in providing perfectly nonconducting walls for the casing.

The refrigerator-casing 1 is open at the top and is provided with a shouldered cover-seat 6o 6, that is adapted to snugly receive therein the air-circulating cover or lid 7, hinged atone edge, as at 8,\to the top ofthe casing to cover and uncover the open top of the latter.

Said air-circulating cover or lid 7 incloses 65 therein an air-circulating space 9 and is provided in its under side, near its opposite ends, with the air-circulating openings 10, which carry the air into the circulating-space 9, and

in its outer side the said cover or lid 7 is pro- 7o vided with a top escape-opening 11, that forms la vent or escapefor the air that is directed into the air-circulating space 9, in a manner to be presently referred to, and at this point it is to be noted that when the cover or lid 7 75 lO is closed the air-circulating openings thereof are disposed within and at opposite ends of the shouldered cover-seat 6 for 'the cover or lid 7. i

The interior of the casing 1 is faced at the 8o sides, ends, and bottom, with the inner metallic lining-plates 12, and arranged Within the upper part of the casing 1 is the longil an ordinary construction for supporting the 9e provisions within the refrigerator. The partition-plate 13 forms the floor of the icechamber 14, and is of a substantially inverted- V shape, being provided with a central longitudinal ridge 17, that forms an apex at the 95 center under side of the said plate, and forms oppositely-inclined sides slanting toward the opposite sides of the casing. The ,said inverted-V shaped partition Hoor-plate 13,.eX

tends from end to end of the refrigeratorroo casing and is inclined toward one end to provide for a natural drain of water toward one end of the casing, but the said floor-plate is narrower than the width of the casing and is The metallic partition Hoor-plate provided at its opposite side edges with the vertically-disposed side seams 18, that are formed integrally with the plate 13 by doubling the metal upon itself at the side edges of said plate to form the upwardly-disposed iianges 19, projected above the side edges of the plate, and the depending flanges 20, eX-

tending below the side edges of the plate.

The upwardly-disposed flanges 19 of the plate 13 form longitudinal drain-gutters 2l, at the sides of the plate 13, to carry the water toward one end of the refrigerator-casing, and the side seams 18,-formed by the flanges 19 and 20, are adapted to snugly receive therein the upper edges of the inner metallic side flue-plates 22. The upper edges of the flueplates 22 are fitted tightly in the side seams 18 of the floor-plate 13, to form a perfectly air-tight connection therewith, and thereby absolutely cutting off any communication between the chambers 14 and 15,'except by the way of the side cold-air iiues 23, formed between the inner side due-plates 22 and the inner opposite sides of the casing. The inner side line-plates 22 are spaced lfrom the inner opposite sides of the refrigerator-casing and extend downward from the floor-plate 13 to a point short of thelbottom of the casing 1 to leave bottom cold-air passages 24 at opposite lower sides of the casing, through which the cold air passes into the bottom of the refrigerator from the side cold-air flues 23, into which the cold air passes from the ice-cham ber over the opposite side edges of the floorplate 13.

The upper icechamber 14, above the metallic partition'floor-plate 13is lined at its opposite sides and ends by the side and end metallic lining-plates 25 and 26, respectively, and the side lining-plates 25 of the ice-cham ber are provided at their lower edges with the outwardly-inclined drip-Hanges 27, that serve to close in the top of the side cold-air iiues 23, and slightly overhang the upwardly disposed side-danges 19 of the plate 13, to

provide for not only protecting the cold-airflues 23, but also for directing the drip into the side drain-gutters 21, of the floor-plate 13. The iioor-plate 13 is designed to support thereon, within the ice-chamber 14, an ordi- Inary slatted ice shelf or rack 28, on which is placed the ice, and at the lower ends of the longitudinal drain-gutters 21 the said plate is provided with the bottom drain-openings 29, in which are fitted the upper ends of the water-drain pipes' 30, that extend downward through the bottom of the refrigerator casing and discharge into opposite ends of aremovable water-trap pan 31.

' The water-trap pan 31 is provided at its upper opposite edges with the side iianges 32, that removably engage a supporting-cleat 33, fixed on the bottom of the refrigerator-casing, and the turnbuckle 34, that provides for the convenient removal ofthe water-pan when desired, and the said pan is provided with a central overiiow-pipe 35, that extends through the bottom of the pan and a slight distance up into the same, to provide for carrying off the water from said pan before the saine is completely filled, and said pan also serves to collect impurities and settlings.

Warm-air-escape pipes 36 are arranged at opposite ends of the refrigerator-casing ontside of the end lining-plates 26 of the icecha'mber, which serve to cover the Sides of said pipes adjacent to the ice-chamber. The lower ends of the warm-air escape or circulating pipes 36 open into the vtop of the storagechamber 15 at the opposite ends of the iioorplate 13, and the upper ends of said pipes are disposed within and at opposite ends of the cover-seat 6, and are adapted to align and communicate with' the air-circulating openings 10 of the cover or lid when the latter is closed.

From the foregoing it will b'e understood that the cold air from the ice-chamber descends through the side fines 23 into the bottom of the refrigerator and displaces the warm air that collects into the apex of the door-plate 13, and escapes out through the pipes 36 at the ends of said apex, and finally through the hollow cover 7, in the manner already referred to, thereby completing a very desirable airtion floor-plate arranged within the casing and having side drain gutters, and bottom drain openings formed at the lower ends of said gutters, drain pipes leading downwardly from said drain openings, inner metallic side due plates spaced from the opposite inner sides of the casing and having a seam-connection at their upper edges with the side edges of said floor plate, the lower edges of said flue plates terminating short of the bottom of the casing to form inner side cold Vair flues com` municating with the casing above and below the floor plate, Warm air escape pipes arranged within opposite upper ends of the casing and communicating at their lower ends with the interior of the casing at the ends of the apex of the floor plate, and the top cover provided with an interior air circulating space, a top air escape opening, and oppositely located air circulating openings adapted to register with the upper ends of the warm air escape pipes, substantially as set forth.

2. In a refrigerator, the casing, a longitudinally inclined inverted Vshaped partition floor-plate arranged within the casing and narrower in Width than the same, said floor plate being provided at its opposite side edges with vertically disposed integral side seams IOO IIO

forming longitudinal drain gutters at the side edges of the oor plate, said side seams consistingot' upwardly disposed flanges and depending flanges bent downward from the upper edges of the upwardly disposed flanges, drain pipes leading from the gutters of said ioor plate, inner metallic side fine plates spaced from the opposite inner sides of the casing and fitted at their upper ends in the spaces between the flanges of said side seams I of the ioor plate, said flue plates terminating at their lower edges short of the bottom of the casing, the side lining plates arranged above `the floor-plate and provided at their lower edges with outwardly inclined drip flanges overhanging the side edges of the floor-plate, and warm air escape pipes opening into the casing at the ends of the apex of said ioor plate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

` LAWSON O. READ.

Witnesses:

IRA BRAMING, t JOHN WILSON. 

